Final Fantasy X. Hands down the best entry of the franchise (fight me)
I never finished X, it felt like it was dragging on and there were too many unskippable scenes.
I actually preferred XIII, which I nearly 100%'d (I think I was one or 2 combats away from 100%) and even XIII-2 which I enjoyed, tho I thought the “post-game” was too heavy with loading screens. I never played XIII-3 (Lightning Returns).
In any case, FF VI is actually the best entry in the franchise. I know that because I played and beat it as a child. (/s)
(I was really hoping FF XV [?; road trip with the boy band] would be good, but I played about 10 hours and had nothing good to say about it.)
FF7 was my entry into the franchise, and I went back to play 4-6 after 8 left me disappointed. I ended up (regretfully) skipping 9 until revisiting it much later. I’m saying this specifically to point out that I am not biased because FFX was my first.
I skipped XI as MMORPGs didn’t hold any interest to me at the time - but WoW would change that, and cause me to skip XII altogether!
I didn’t like the combat of XIII, it was too much of a departure of what came before (variants of ATB and general turn-based combat) - and I did not find the plot engaging enough to persevere much beyond I think the ~10hr mark?
I haven’t bothered to revisit the newer entries since, even though I have added XII, XIII, XIII-2 & Lightning Returns to my retro collection. Perhaps one day?
I thought I wasn’t going to like the combat of XIII, but I ended up really quite enjoying it most of the time. I thought the support roles AI was quite good, and eventually I figured out a rhythm of switching roles that felt really good.
But, I probably should go back and play some of the 7-9, maybe even X again. I picked up 2, 3, and 5 (and the portable Nintendo consoles to play them) and never made the time to play them.
I know some are on Steam, but I’m on Linux and I don’t know how well the Proton/SteamPlay works with them. (Plus, I need to finish up Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 before I buy yet another JRPG.)
According to protondb.com the entire Final Fantasy catalogue is pretty much flagged as either Gold or Platinum so you shouldn’t have issues.
For what it’s worth, the console versions also run great through EmuDeck and RetroDeck on my Steam Deck too!
I need to get around to playing Clair Obscur - I’ve seen and heard great things about it, but with a 2yo running around the house - I just don’t have the bandwidth currently to invest in new games… 😅
There’s about 3 different “no double-damage” mods that I’ve tried, for a boss I just couldn’t be assed to try legit, anymore. They all seemed to work, fine.
There was a “respawn outside the boss room, instead of at a bench” mod that I installed for a particular boss (you can probably guess), but I can’t really speak about whether it works, cause I happened to beat it on the next try after installing.
There was an “infinite shards” mod I tried, but it didn’t work at all, and I didn’t see any others, so be wary of that one.
Last Judge runback didn’t really bother me. Just sprint straight out, with a few properly-timed jumps, and you skip every enemy and reach the boss in about 30 seconds.
Bilewater was nonsense, even after learning how to run it perfectly. And I LIKE Bilewater, as an area.
There was this really interesting indie game called Atlas Wept. I played the demo and it was really high-intensity fun using new and innovative systems. Loved it. But then critics on YouTube tore the game apart and the dev made the game so much easier that you could finish the game without really interacting with the core mechanics at all, without providing separate difficulty settings.
The game was still feeling good, but I feel like we really lost something, and people would have realized that if the dev had listened to more than just the people who are financially incentivized to be impatient with the games they play.
I would argue that if you’re an Xbox gamer with no interest in PC and no interest in trying different eco-systems then yes the new ROG Xbox Ally will be your best bet. You might not get quite the same performance as the SteamOS models but you’ll have access to your GamePass, cross-buy library titles if you have any and a familiar interface.
You can absolutely play a Steam Deck on the couch. It’s effectively the same sort of device as a Switch, just without all the Nintendo nonsense of knowing that you’re supporting a company that specializes in squashing industry innovation through litigation.
You can even buy a dock that uses the USBC port as an HDMI output, if you want to play on a bigger screen, and connect your favorite Bluetooth controller.
For anyone curious, I politely asked a streamer to check for me, and this game seems to still have LAN, despite the lack of mention in their FAQ and the store page and the explicit removal in Borderlands 1 GOTY edition.
I bought it heavily discounted and knowing it got bad reviews and still felt like I got ripped off. The reviews I read did not do justice to just how bad the shooting feels and how terrible the level design is.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II did this really well just this year. Largely a story about contrasting a desire for adventure with the horrors and realities of war, it also has quests that are full of comedy. You can try to attract a pack of wolves using what the shepherd refers to as his absolute dumbest sheep; you can get blackout drunk with a band of mercenaries who may or may not have killed your childhood friends; you can clean up and decorate a crypt full of loose bones for a man who speaks only in rhymes, poorly, and might be a ghost.
Some of these games have incredible writing. Personally, I’d recommend trying Eternum. It’s not finished yet but there’s already a ton of content and the writing is incredible. Another game by the same person called Once in a Lifetime is also really good but shorter.
Besides those two, I’d really recommend The Princess Trap. Also unfinished but still lots of content. This one is definitely a bit more niche and might not be for everyone but the drama and mystery in it is really incredible.
All of these games are pretty slow to get to the sex stuff to be honest (especially The Princess Trap). But every moment in-between makes it so worth your time.
I just finished what exists so far for The Princess Trap last night. I have to recommend holding off on it till it’s finished so you don’t end up in as much despair as me.
I was always curious about the Playdate because Lucas Pope made a game for it and he’s a genius, but I never really could see myself justifying the massive price tag for what it is.
Also I hope you’re feeling better! It made me so happy to see a post from you again as I’ve missed seeing you around. Hope your health is improving ♥️
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